My accord was curbed pretty badly a couple of months ago and I've finally found time to fix her. I'm taking the front passenger side suspension apart and replacing whatever parts might be broken/bent.



I'm having trouble getting the black piece out that runs left to right from the rotor to the mount on the car.







I've removed the strut mount and the sway bar but I can't get it off of the rotor or mount on the car

can any one help?

 

Your suspension is ****ed up. Your radius arm is only held on with one stud, and it doesn't attach with a stud.

You need a ball joint separator to get the spindle off the car. And you need to remove the axle nut to get the axle off. And you need to drain the transmission oil. You should take your car to a professional mechanic or at the very least READ HOW TO TAKE IT APART.
What happens if you put it togtether wrong and it comes apart on the highway?

 

Smack the casting where the ball joint stud goes through. A small sledge hammer works well. Sometimes you have to use two hammers, holding one on the backside of the casting while smacking the opposite side. The stud should pop right out.

Before you do this put the nut back on the stud to keep from accidentally mangling the threads. Don't hit the stud with the hammer.

 

The easiest, and least damaging, way I have found to pop the lower balljoint, it to remove the castle nut, flip it upside down and reinstall it but leave a gap between it and the lower control arm. Leave the spring/shock/fork attached to the lower control arm. With a jack, jack up the spindle via the flipped balljoint nut compressing the spring a bit. Use a single jack(mini sledge) to tap on the lower control arm a few times, the combination of tension from the spring and the tapping from the hammer should pop the lower ball joint in short order.

 

still no luck with getting this ball joint apart

i've tried hammering, pulling, and much more. will it just pop right off?

 

Dumb question - did you bother trying to have the car professionally aligned before going through this trouble?

Curbing the car doesn't necessarily **** up your suspension.

 

this is actually the second time the car had been curbed
its happened both times on the front passenger side wheel. I got it repaired professionally the first time for around $1000
i dont really have the money to take it to a shop again so Im gonna do it myself.

and it was bent pretty bad. the wheel was way too far back in the wheel well and was rubbing horribly along the inside of the well. it also had alot of positive camber haha
I wish it just needed some alignment adjustment but its gonna need some new parts

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISY8bGof3bQ

This is also in the FAQ's...

 

hit the lower control arm hard with a big hammer and it will pop out.

 

do you guys have princess auto in the states. it has some really helpful, low priced tools. ball joint seperators and the like. cheap and easy.

 

i finally got it. thanks for the help guys!!

if my dust cover that sits behind the rotor is a little bit warped do i need to replace it? i think the only new part the car really needs is a new lower control arm. everything else seems to be in good shape

 

i always rip the dust covers off when they almost fall off cause of rust. maybe just straighten out if in good shape imo.